For the Daily Journal
SHELBYVILLE
An aggressive attack is often enough for a soccer team to end up victorious. Throw in a stifling defense, and you get a dominating performance.
That’s what the Class A No. 11 Greenwood Christian boys soccer team got Monday night as it blanked Morristown, 4-0, in the first round of the Southwestern Sectional.
The two-time defending sectional champion Cougars (11-6) were determined to defend their championship and it looked it even before the match started.
“We came out focused right away,” GCA coach Jason Noel said. “Our intensity was really high, and we pinched them back and pressured them.”
The Cougars are putting things together at the perfect moment, as they face sixth-ranked Oldenburg Academy in a semifinal match on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
It was the second win over the Yellow Jackets for GCA, which also took a 3-1 regular-season victory in early September.
As easy at that game was, this one was no contest.
Freshman Samuel Graves got things started, scoring in the sixth minute. Of course, Greenwood Christian didn’t know it at the time, but that was the only offense they needed.
However, the Cougars continued to smother the Yellow Jackets and disrupt their attack, and Luke Walters scored GCA’s second goal 11 minutes later with an assist from Noah Harris.
Harris added another goal to his tally shortly before the half ended, assisted by Josue Mier.
Meanwhile, senior goalie Gabe Vessely didn’t have to work too hard as the Cougars’ defense prevented the Yellow Jackets from getting a shot on goal.
Vessely also helped his own cause by going after several Morristown passes, keeping the Yellow Jackets from getting anything going near the goal.
“Our defense played really well,” Noel said. “Griffin Peters played phenomenal. He runs the middle really well, and of course Gabe. I feel very comfortable with him in goal.”
Mier finished up the scoring, capping a great overall effort from Greenwood Christian.
The Cougars will need another performance like it on Wednesday against the Twisters, a team the Cougars have eliminated in each of the last two postseasons.
“It will be a tough matchup,” Noel said. “We’ve faced them the past two years so we know about them. Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow.”
